Last week Latvia’s President Egils Levits visited war-torn Ukraine and violated an unwritten security protocol – he became the first of western leaders who remained in Kyiv overnight during a war.
Levits visited Kyiv on 13 April, becoming one of the first western leaders to have visited Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, as reported by Unian.
After meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Levits participated in Yalta European Strategy Conference, where multiple panel discussions discussed western unity and support for Ukraine, investigation of crimes committed by Russian aggression, restoration of international order and sanctions as a tool in the fight against Russian aggression.
«Russia has commenced an ideological war not only against Ukraine, but the whole world as well.
Our duty in this war is simple – providing Ukraine all possible military, financial, humanitarian and political support. It is our contribution to the safety and freedom of Ukraine and all of Europe. I am confident that after its victory Ukraine will become one of the strongest European countries – restored from ruins, European, modern, economically stable, and – most importantly – Ukrainians will be a united nation,» said Levits at the opening of the conference.
Latvia’s president also stressed: «Talks with the aggressor regarding possible compromises has no long-term coverage, because real peace can only be accomplished when both sides recognise international law. Any pressure on Ukraine to accept territorial loss will not lead to peace, it will cause future threats and on a wider scale.»
The president also mentioned one of the most serious problems is the strength of democracy. «Democracy faces challenges coming from the outside – aggression against a democratic European country and the inside – distrust of the government, populism, etc. Democracy is under stress right now. A sustainable democracy is the foundation of our welfare. It is also important to restore international peace. I do not doubt this is important to 192 other UN member states.»
Also read: St. Petersburg deputies propose accusing Putin of treason
In the discussion about current and future sanction policy towards the aggressor – Russia – Levits said «it is highly important to preserve the sanction policy against Russia until Ukraine has fully restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty». «Latvia highly values stability, international peace and security guaranteed by international law. We have to prevent any attempts to undermine this international order,» stressed Latvia’s president.
During his discussion with youngsters about Russia using disinformation and fake news to spread propaganda, Levits said «it is our civil duty to oppose Russia’s information war». He also stressed that Latvia has experienced an information war for years, adding that the country has learned to recognize and fight against Russian propaganda. Now Latvia can share its experience with other countries.